Emma Mackie will not reprise her role at the top of the girls’ program heading into next year, with the Wangaratta-based Tyson Saunders now freshly installed into the role.
Saunders is anything but a stranger to the Bushrangers’ mode of operations, having served in a developmental capacity within the boys’ program for a period of years.
He knows a thing or two about sport in the Shepparton area as well.
“I’ve been part of the boys’ staff since 2019 in a role under Mark Brown,” Saunders said.
“I really enjoyed my time, but I’ve got four daughters of my own, so I was starting to dive into female sport.
“I was doing a bit with basketball at Marist College as well as the Shepparton Gators, so I had a chat with Mark about an opportunity that was opening in the girls’ program.”
Shepparton United prospect Holly Egan has been awaiting her big moment after a stellar representative campaign in the purple and gold, carrying the mantle as the Bushrangers’ primary AFL Women’s draft hopeful.
Though Saunders was not particularly integrated with the girls’ side, he did have the head start of building a rapport on the back end of a season that had some late improvement.
“Once I transitioned across to focusing on the girls, it did take me a while to get to know the players,” Saunders said.
“With some good support within the program, it didn’t take long to see the excitement around what the group has and will be.
“The talent side of things comes as a clean slate, in a way. With the boys, you have a history with V/Line Cup into 16s into 18s, but you have to rely on the staff around you to guide you at the start.
“It was a whirlwind six months and, if you told me this was how 2024 was going to end, I wouldn’t believe you, but it’s something I’ve been really keen to pursue.
“I’ve been lucky to have a really strong support group around me in the head office and the coaching staff; getting the right people involved in the program makes a big difference.”
Speaking of getting people involved, it is obviously some time before we will know the roster which makes up the Bushrangers’ 2025 playing squad, with final pre-season intakes unlikely to be finalised until the new year.
With that in mind, Saunders couldn’t be more keen to get started.
“This pre-season will be nice and fresh with a few new faces in the coaching roles,” Saunders said.
“We plan on it being an opportunity for all of them to show what they’ve got and put their best foot forward to be selected for 2025.
“We’re really excited to work on the back of some momentum at the end of this season and look forward to building on that.”
